How does new England skipper Harry Kane stand up against past strikers to don the Three Lions armband?

Matt Jones - Editor 17:25 23/05/2018
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  • Harry Kane will lead England at this summer’s World Cup and though it may have been a bold assumption from the new king of the pride when he stated they can win the competition, his Three Lions colleagues and fans will have been encouraged by his rallying cry.

    They have not lifted the Jules Rimet trophy since 1966, yet the Tottenham striker said “anything else is not good enough” if Gareth Southgate’s men fail to come away from Russia without the trophy.

    “Being young is not an excuse – it could be a good thing. I believe we can and that is what we want to try and do. Anything else is not good enough,” Kane, 24, said upon his unveiling as skipper.

    Kane scored 41 goals in all competitions last season as Spurs finished third in the Premier League and England fans will be desperate for him to carry his goalscoring form into the World Cup.

    England will be heavily relying on Kane, who netted 30 goals in all competitions at club level for the fourth-straight season.

    But should Three Lions enthusiasts be concerned that the captaincy could act be a burden on the country’s great hope? Kane will be the first England striker to captain his country at a World Cup since Alan Shearer in 1998.

    How does the man who became England’s 20th youngest captain when he was given the armband in a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last June stack up against Shearer and other striker captains? We take a closer look and compare Kane to previous England goal-getters who captained their country.

    23 05 england world cup

    Kevin Keegan

    Made his England debut in 1972, scoring 21 goals in 63 caps. He scored four goals before being named captain, aged 25, for the first time in March 1976 v Wales. Keegan then went on to score 17 more goals but six of them came when he was not wearing the armband.

    Games as skipper 31

    Games not skipper 32

    Goals per game as captain 0.35

    Goals per game not captain 0.31

    Wayne Rooney

    England’s leading scorer bagged 25 of his record 53 goals goals before being named captain for the first time in November2009 v Brazil, aged 24. But that was a rare outing wearing the armband and it would three years before he would don it again, while it was only in 2014 that he became England’s regular captain, aged 28. Rooney scored 28 more goals after that Brazil game but 14 of them were notched when he was not captain, with another 24 coming as skipper.

    Games as skipper 23

    Games not skipper 96

    Goals per game as captain 0.6

    Goals per game not captain 0.4

    Gary Lineker

    A prolific scorer of goals in whatever shirt he played in, Lineker retired just one goal shy of Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals in 1992. He was a relatively late bloomer in terms of leading his nation, not having the honour bestowed upon him until he was 29, against Hungary in 1990. Up until then 35 goals had been put away in the famous white shirt. Lineker went on to score 13 more goals, with all but three of them coming when he was not captain.

    Games as skipper 18

    Games not skipper 62

    Goals per game as captain 0.55

    Goals per game not captain 0.61

    Alan Shearer

    A potent goalscorer for both club and country, Shearer absolutely thrived with the ‘C’ emblazoned on his bicep, scoring two thirds of his goals for England after being named skipper in September 1996 against Moldova.

    Shearer struck 10 goals before stepping up to the plate, aged 26. Unlike the other three names above him, Shearer didn’t flit in and out of the captaincy. Once earned he was captain for 34 of the next 35 England games and notched 20 more goals.

    Games as skipper 34

    Games not skipper 29

    Goals per game as captain 0.58

    Goals per game not captain 0.34

    Harry Kane

    Scored five goals before being named captain for the first time in June 2017 v Scotland. Has scored seven more goals since but two of them have come when he hasn’t been captain. Was 23 when he first became captain.

    Games as skipper 4

    Games not skipper 19

    Goals per game as captain 0.36

    Goals per game not captain 1.25

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